Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There have been several conversations and representations about Patisiran, the second drug the Deputy referenced, and I will revert to him and colleagues with an update on it.

Any opportunity we can find to accelerate access to these new and exciting drugs should be taken. I had a conversation with medical oncologists just this week on access to new cancer drugs. On the €50 million that has been allocated for new drugs, although there is no set amount yet and the budget does not get sliced up per care pathway, it would be quite reasonable to think that €15 million or up to one third of that €50 million will end up being allocated towards some of the really exciting new drugs. I asked the medical oncologists whether there is an opportunity for us to save money within the existing amount. We should remember that we spend €2 billion per year on drugs. Their clear view was that there is an opportunity to make savings in biosimilars and prescribing practices. What I would love to do is to protect the drugs budget, add the €50 million to it, and find ways of reducing costs within that €2 billion and reinvesting the saved money back into further drugs. That certainly seemed to be something the medical oncologists wished to discuss further. I will be delighted to continue the discussion with the Deputy and the joint committee on the issue.

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